Armed Citizen

From NRA.org, December, 2013 Joseph Eisel, 51, was asleep with his wife around 3 a.m. when he woke to a 27-year-old man he did not know standing over his bed. Startled and fearful for his life, Eisel reached for the 9 mm pistol he keeps bedside. The intruder fled the room and entered the Eisels’ garage. Eisel followed him into the garage where the intruder fell to the floor. Eisel ordered the intruder to stay on the floor while his wife dialed 911. Eisel held the intruder at gunpoint until police arrived a short time later. The intruder allegedly entered the home through a broken basement window. Reportedly no one was hurt during the home invasion. “Everybody complains about guns,” Eisel said of the incident, “but I’m glad I have one.” (Butler Eagle, Cranberry Township, PA, 10/1/13)

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After an argument occurred at a house party, one man was asked to leave. The 27-year-old man returned a short time later with a rifle and began firing shots outside the home. According to witnesses, the man then pointed the rifle at several people attending the party. A 39-year-old partygoer took action to stop what could have resulted in tragedy; he pulled out his own firearm and shot the man brandishing the rifle. The assailant was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. No other injuries were reported. (KPHO.com, Glendale, AZ, 10/20/13)

Dave Svensen, 69, was witness to a 22-year-old man’s crime spree at a Seattle yacht club. The man used a stolen boat to cause an estimated $500,000 in damage. He rammed other boats docked at the marina, as well as a support post, causing a section of the marina’s roof to collapse. Svensen borrowed a shotgun from the owner of an adjacent boat to end the aggressor’s out-of-control behavior and prevent anyone from getting hurt. Svensen fired, striking the suspect in the head and hands. However, medics characterized his injuries as non life-threatening. The suspect was treated before being arrested under multiple felony charges. He was reportedly under the influence of narcotics at the time of the rampage. (The Seattle Times, Seattle, WA, 9/17/13)

Gary Spencer, 36, and his wife stopped at a Wells Fargo Bank around 9 a.m. Spencer waited in the car while his wife went inside the bank to deposit a check. While waiting in the parking lot, Spencer witnessed two men struggling with one another for a red money bag and heard a “zapping sound.” The assailant had been waiting in line behind the man with the bag as he withdrew $5,000 from the bank. When leaving the bank, the victim was then attacked with a stun gun. When Spencer realized what was happening, he reached into his wife’s purse and pulled out her .380 pistol. Spencer approached the suspect and ordered him to stop. When the suspect saw Spencer’s gun, he dropped the stun gun and fled empty-handed. The victim suffered only minor injuries. (Independent Tribune, Concord, NC, 10/9/13)

The tables were turned on a teen playing “Point ‘em Out, Knock ‘em Out,” a “game” of brutal street violence in which a target is chosen at random and beaten in an attempt to knock them out; a recent crime trend among troubled juveniles. A 17-year-old carrying a stun gun approached his 28-year-old victim, who was waiting for his daughter at her school bus stop. When the assailant turned and pressed the stun gun against his intended victim’s side, it failed to discharge. The man responded by pulling out his .40-cal. Smith & Wesson and firing. The teen was later taken to the hospital and treated for a single gunshot wound before facing charges. The intended victim was not harmed during the attack. (The Muskegon Chronicle, Lansing, MI, 8/28/13)

Richard Duffy, 48, and his teenage son were home around 8 p.m. when a 44-year-old man wearing a ski mask and brass knuckles broke into their mobile home. After a brief altercation in the living room, Duffy pulled out a firearm and fired multiple rounds killing the intruder. It was reported that Duffy and the intruder did not know each other. Neither Duffy nor his son were injured during the home invasion. (Portland Press Herald, Rome, ME, 10/1/13)

While officers were detouring traffic after an accident, witnesses say a 54-year-old man became angry at a motorist and began honking his horn. The man then reportedly exited his vehicle carrying a metal baton and approached the vehicle ahead of him yelling violent threats. The driver of the car in front of the enraged man feared for his safety and drew his pistol. Police officers intervened and arrested the irate man wielding the baton. No injuries were reported during the incident. (Johnson City Press, Kingsport, TN, 10/15/13)

In Indiana, police officers are upset over a new law allowing residents to use deadly force against public servants, including law enforcement officers, who unlawfully enter their homes.

The law was signed by Republican Governor Mitch Daniels in March. It was adopted after the Indiana State Supreme Court ruled that there was “no right to reasonably resist unlawful entry by police officers,” after a man assaulted an officer during a domestic violence call.

The law’s author, Republican state Sen. Michael Young, said there haven’t been any cases [yet] in which people have used the law to justify shooting police.

The National Rifle Association lobbied for the new law, claiming that the Indiana State Supreme Court decision had legalized police to commit unjustified entries.

Tim Downs, President of the Indiana State Fraternal Order of Police, told Bloomberg News that the law could open the way for people who are under the influence or emotionally distressed to attack officers in their homes: “It’s just a recipe for disaster. It just puts a bounty on our heads.”

Indiana is the first U.S. state to specifically allow force against officers, according to the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys in Washington, which represents prosecutors.

In Indiana, police officers are upset over a new law allowing residents to use deadly force against public servants, including law enforcement officers, who unlawfully enter their homes.

The law was signed by Republican Governor Mitch Daniels in March. It was adopted after the Indiana State Supreme Court ruled that there was “no right to reasonably resist unlawful entry by police officers,” after a man assaulted an officer during a domestic violence call.

The law’s author, Republican state Sen. Michael Young, said there haven’t been any cases [yet] in which people have used the law to justify shooting police.

The National Rifle Association lobbied for the new law, claiming that the Indiana State Supreme Court decision had legalized police to commit unjustified entries.

Tim Downs, President of the Indiana State Fraternal Order of Police, told Bloomberg News that the law could open the way for people who are under the influence or emotionally distressed to attack officers in their homes: “It’s just a recipe for disaster. It just puts a bounty on our heads.”

Indiana is the first U.S. state to specifically allow force against officers, according to the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys in Washington, which represents prosecutors.
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Maybe some of the senseless “no-knock” and assorted SWAT raids, and “pre-crime” nonsense will slow down.

“There are always risks in challenging excessive police power, but the risks of not challenging it are more dangerous, even fatal.”
—Hunter S. Thompson